1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved communications system. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved communications system in which wireline and mobile communication devices can be utilized to initiate communication transactions. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved communications system in which virtual agents can be utilized to redirect and route calls between originating and terminating users.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communication networks such as wireless and wireline telephone systems are well-known in the prior art. A wireline based communications system utilizes a physical path to transmit signals. Examples of wirelines communications systems include telephone, telegraph, facsimile, closed circuit television and so forth. Examples of wireless communication systems include cellular telephone systems. A cellular telephone system typically includes cellular subscriber units that can be mobile or portable, and cellular base stations which are connected to the public telephone company via one or more cellular switching networks. Each cellular subscriber has an assigned cellular telephone number which allows the user (i.e., the cellular subscriber) to place and receive calls within a widespread range of the cellular base stations, such as throughout a metropolitan area.
Computerized switching is essential to the operation of both wireline and wireless telephone communication systems. Telephone communication networks typically provide features for redirecting calls on behalf of telephone users. Examples of such features include call forwarding, call transfer, release link trunking, and simultaneous ringing, all well known in the communications arts. Call forwarding, for example, is a network-provided service feature in which calls may be redirected from the originally called address to another address specified by a call forwarding party. A common approach utilized to redirect a call is to remove a redirecting user from a call configuration. In such an approach a call is initiated from user A to user B, who redirects the call to user C. The call is physically represented as a call from user A to user C. User B has been largely removed.
However, the resulting A-to-C call contains special flags and data indicating that the call was actually redirected by B, which results in numerous software "hooks" to determine whether the flags have been set, and if so to fix the behavior of what now erroneously appears to be a direct A-to-C call. Information relating to the A-B call is thus hidden and unaccounted for in tracking a call from A to B and then to C. Call setup and billing software, in particular, end up containing many such hooks, whose root cause is the physical removal of B from the call configuration. The resulting design is highly error-prone and expensive to maintain. From the foregoing it can be seen that a need exists for a method and system utilized in telephony services which would allow a user to efficiently and accurately track a redirected call, which is a critical factor in reducing life cycle costs associated with redirection services.